516 
Combating Lousiness 
SUB-SECTION II. PEDICULICIDES AND REMEDIES 
RECOMMENDED IN PRACTICE. 
Historical. In the Boole of Quinte Essence 1 (written in 1460-70) 
mercury mixed with saliva, etc., is recommended “to distrie lies”; for 
this purpose take a little mercury “ mortifie it wij? fastynge spotil, medle 
it wi]} a good quantite of poudre of stafi-sagre [lice-bane], ]>anne put it 
in to a great quantite of brennynge water [spirits of wine], |>anne waische 
all his body...or ellis ]?e heed [head] where J>e icche and ]?e lies ben.” 
The quintessence or burning water (alcohol) alone is also recommended 
as a cure for itch and lice. 
Moffett, writing in 1590 (see bibliogr.), after citing many ancient 
writings in which lice are mentioned, quotes a number regarding the 
treatment for lice. From lack of time I have not as yet been able to 
verify these references, but I have added some dates, etc. in brackets 
since it is of interest to learn when certain remedies for lice were first 
employed: 
Pliny (a.d. 23-74) prescribes for lice the application of staveacre and 
red arsenic; mustard seed; garlic with vinegar and nitre; oil of radish in 
old cases; oil, tar, sweet gums, black hellebore, etc. For nits he recom¬ 
mends alum and vinegar, calf’s bile and vinegar, goat’s milk, nitre and 
Terra Sarnia smeered on, powder of harts-horn drank in wine. Avicenna 
(a.d. 980-1036) prescribed mercury with oil of roses, wild staveacre with 
arsenic. Haly Abbas (Liber totus med. 1523) recommended (1) mercury 
bruised with staveacre seed and oil of wild saffron, anointing the body 
therewith morning and evening after bathing; (2) an ointment, similarly 
used, and consisting of long birthwort, pine leaves, oil of lupin and 
mercury; (3) alum, wormwood, santonicum, or mugwort; (4) birthwort, 
red arsenic and oil of Ben, to be applied as an ointment overnight, 
rubbing the body next morning with bran and barley meal (which would 
allay irritation). Abenzoar prescribed for nits on the head the anointing 
of the hair with lesser centaury and alkitrium; “Brimstone in Vinegar- 
takes away Nits, also Oyl mingled with Lye.” Gilbertus Anglicus (ca. 
1290. His Compend. med. was published, 1510, in London) “ burns Leeches 
and Styrax Calamita together, and with these and Hogs bloud, he pre¬ 
pares an excellent Unguent,” apparently for crab-lice. Moffett mentions 
the occurrence of crab-lice (“wild lice,” “Pediculus ferus”)upon the beard 
and eyebrows, etc. and says it is best to shave the hair of the infested 
1 Already cited on p. 417 q.v The italicized letters are added by the transcriber; 
b=th. 
